


Snippets

by Solziv



Series: Catalyst [8]
Category: Jak and Daxter
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attraction, Awkward Romance, Birthdays, Catalyst - Freeform, Crushes, Dark Eco, Eco, Emotions, F/M, Family, Feelings, Female Friendship, First Crush, Fluff and Humor, Flut Flut, Friendship, Gifts, Haven, Haven City, Humor, Leapers, Light Eco, Light Jak - Freeform, Lust, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Monks, Orphans, Ottsel Daxter, Ottsel Tess, Ottsels, Precursors, Romance, Sexual Humor, Sibling Love, Spargus, Wasteland, city, dark jak - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-08-27 02:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8383924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solziv/pseuds/Solziv
Summary: Post-Jak 3. Set during “Catalyst”. A series of side stories set during the main plot. Multi-chapter. ~ CATALYST ~





	1. Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This has come about due to the fact there are certain scenes I have written over the course of Catalyst that are nonessential to the plot, but I just can’t bear to delete from my computer. Now, I’ve tried to keep them chronological, but that will no doubt change, as I get more ideas. Regardless, I’ll write in the author’s notes when each chapter occurs.
> 
> This first part happens just before chapter eleven – Jak’s birthday! Yay! As with the main story, I refer to Seem as male.

Now was the worst possible time for _The Naughty Ottsel_ to be deserted. Taryn required the assistance of a certain Orange Lightning, which was laughably categorised as ‘advice’.

“Daxter!” she called at the top of her voice, stood in the centre of the bar, cursing into the silence. _Where is that loudmouthed rodent?_ Several more calls of his name yielded no results.

Fortunately, just as she was about to give a final try, another girl’s voice filled the room.

“Who is _shouting_ at a time like this?” It was Tess, of all…Precursors. Her hair was neatly brushed (likely moments before) and clothing arranged _just so_ , as always. When she and Taryn were young, the latter had offered the female Ottsel the abhorred nickname “neat freak”. Regardless of her appearance, the blonde appeared sleepy.

“Sorry,” the human teen said in a lower register. “I just need to borrow your boy toy.”

Brain evidently unable to assess the request at present, Tess gave a bemused frown. “What? Why?”

The seventeen year old initially didn’t wish to admit her plan, considering not even her closest friends knew of her relationship with Jak – she wanted to keep things that way for a little longer. Just getting comfortable and used to having a hero of her own, she thought anything to disrupt it would be unwelcome.

However, it seemed the blush on her cheeks at the thought did not go unnoticed.

“Of course! It’s Jak’s birthday tomorrow, isn’t it?” Tess remarked. “Dax and I went halves and already got him something.”

_Oh, screw it!_ “I have been stuck for _days_!” Taryn cried, gripping her head with gloved hands. “I desperately need help finding something worthwhile! I don’t know what Jak likes!”

“He likes _you_. Dress up or something. Get him _going._ ” The Ottsel offered a suggestive wink.

The seventeen year old’s face dropped. “The fuzzball told you, didn’t he?”

“Yep. I’m so _happy_ for you two.”

_Damn it. I do_ not _need_ this _._ “Have you told anyone else?”

“No. Do you want me to?”

“ _God_ , no. Not yet, anyway. So, where is Daxter?”

“Still asleep. You want me to get him?”

“ _Please_.”

The blonde wordlessly bounded off to the back room; mere minutes later, she returned with a strangely excited Orange Lightning.

“There’s my favourite blue jellybean! He cried, face splitting in half from his overly wide grin.

“ _Jellybean_? Really? Have you been drinking puddles again?” Taryn rolled her eyes, crossing both arms over her chest. _I don’t have time for banter._ “Clock’s ticking, Ginger. I need to find a gift.”

“Cuttin’ it close, aren’tcha?”

“Yes, yes, I know that, already. Just _help_.”

“Okay, okay. Keep yer pants on.” He suggestively wiggled his brow at those words, making her groan in exasperation.

“Can I come with?” the blonde asked, in her sweetest, most innocent tone, locking her fingers together in a begging gesture.

“Yes, fine, whatever,” Taryn muttered. “Just get ready. Quickly.”

* * *

 

Finally ready (at a slower pace than the already panicked blue-haired adolescent would have liked), the trio darted out of the bar and jumped into her forest green, modified HellCat. With a turn of the key, the engine immediately roared to life, and the large vehicle shot off into the higher flying zone.

“Give me some ideas of the kind of things Jak likes,” Taryn said.

“You,” came Daxter’s retort. “Dressed as a maid, prob’ly.”

“Ugh. You know Tess already cracked that joke. Write your own material.”

“You should really keep your eyes on the sky, Bloo,” the blonde Ottsel piped up.

The human only begrudgingly did as she was told, sighing all the while. This was quickly becoming a nightmare. If she couldn’t get anything for her boyfriend, it meant likely resorting to doing as the Ottsels suggested; she wasn’t sure if she could deal with the blonde’s reaction to it just yet. It was still too early in their relationship for anything like that.

Scowling, she tried to find an alternative. “Is there anything _else_?”

Tess shook her little head. “I don’t know, apart from what we already got him.”

“ _Useful_.”

Orange Lightning remained oddly quiet for a minute, before he leapt into the passenger seat, frightening the already highly-strung driver. “Take a right here.”

Taryn did as she was instructed, and followed his subsequent directions, but curiosity needed to know where he guided her. “Where are you taking us?”

“You’ll know when we get there,” came his cryptic remark.

_Damn it. That just makes me more curious,_ she inwardly grumbled, but, even with both female’s demands, he simply wouldn’t disclose the location.

“Fine, Fuzzball,” the blue-haired teen relented. “Navigate away.”

* * *

 

As it turned out, Daxter had led his associates to the monk temple – a place Taryn would rather not have entered again, unless it was to admire the statue that she learnt was modelled after Light Jak. Only a couple of weeks had passed since she was last there, yet it felt like an age. It was where the blonde hero first kissed her and admitted his feelings. Regardless of that still-vivid memory, she felt uncomfortable in the presence of the holy men and all that represented the Old World.

Within the beautifully decorated entrance hall, Seem greeted the trio with surprising warmth, offering a sliver of a smile and a reverent bow of the head.

“Hey!” Orange Lightning beamed.

“You grace us with your presence today,” the leader spoke. “How may we help you?”

“Well, you see it’s actually my friend, here, who needs a little _something_ ,” he elucidated, waving a paw at Taryn. The monk briefly looked past the Ottsel and towards said girl, curiously studying her.

“I see. What ‘something’ did you have in mind?” Seem asked.

Daxter gestured for the young male to lean down, before the former whispered into the latter’s ear. The blue-haired teen strained to hear, but simply couldn’t make it out, so gave up. Tess, on the other hand, was merely content to stand upon the mosaic floor and admire the scenery; she simply couldn’t get enough of its beauty.

Taryn was amazed at how relaxed the Ottsels were in the building. _Must be a Precursor thing,_ she mused.

“Of course,” Seem said with some semblance of levity to his voice that was not usually present. He straightened up, then retreated towards one of the back doors. “If you would wait here a moment.”

The seventeen year old raised an eyebrow, then glanced over at Orange Lighting. “What did you say to him?”

“You’ll see…” the Ottsel responded, in a dramatic tenor.

“Be annoyingly mysterious. I just hope the trip was worth it.”

“You don’t like the décor?”

Taryn began shaking her head, then paused and considered the query. “Well…I like the statue. And the place _is_ beautiful…”

“Then what’s the issue?” Tess cut in.

“Look, I’ve already talked this through with Jak and Keira, alright?”

“Ooh, something _happened_ , didn’t it?”

“I’m gonna take a _wild_ guess an’ say this was the place you kissed Jak,” Daxter suddenly blurted.

Taryn’s mouth dropped. “ _What_? How did you-?”

“I’m a genius. Get used to it, honey,” he said smugly.

“Jak kissed _me_ , by the way,” she defended, but it sounded feeble to her ears, so shrank into herself and fought the urge to sulk. It was hardly the time to discuss such matters, anyway. She simply needed to know what Seem would present as a possible solution. Then she could wrap it up, stash it somewhere in her bedroom, and think about the best way to present it to her boyfriend.

The monk leader returned at that moment. In his hands sat an intricate wooden box, covered with Precursor script and embossed with Mar’s seal. It remained a mystery if the item within once belonged to the founder of Haven City or if it had recently been placed inside for safe keeping. Taryn had a fair idea that the monks would never reveal the truth – if they even knew.

Seem then presented it to Daxter, along with the matching, minute key; the latter nodded at the gesture, then accepted it. The Ottsel inserted the piece of bronzed metal into the keyhole and turned it clockwise. The lid popped open a sliver, before he pushed it up, revealing its contents. An enormous grin spread across his countenance and he turned to the two girls.

“This is exactly what I had in mind,” he declared, looking up at the monk. “Thanks a bunch.”

“You are most welcome,” Seem replied.

The Ottsel then trotted closer to Tess and Taryn, allowing the pair to peer inside. The seventeen year old’s green optics widened at such a sight.

It was _perfect_.


	2. Leapers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens between chapters fifteen and sixteen, during Jak and Taryn’s holiday in Spargus. I regretted cutting it from Catalyst, but it unfortunately wouldn’t fit, so it’s nice to put it up in this collection.
> 
> There’s something very amusing to me about Taryn being bad at riding animals, but comfortable with vehicles.

Jak awoke later than he would have liked – not that it was imperative to set a schedule for the week – but that would mean less time spent taking his blue-haired girl on adventures throughout the city. He was enjoying their time together more and more, after the revelation of his parentage.

Still…something _had_ shifted between the pair, following that event. Taryn’s body language was subtly different, but they had spent enough intimate time together that he could see it. They were not only more open with each another now, but she was more _tactile_ with him. And he wasn’t complaining _one bit_.

Today, the blonde decided an enjoyable activity for them would involve riding wild, desert lizards. As soon as Taryn saw the creatures, she wondered where “fun” entered the equation.

The poor girl had a foot inserted in the stirrup, trying to raise her body to mount a leaper, and looked incredibly uncomfortable doing so. Instead of laughing, Jak should have been more supportive, but he simply couldn’t help it; the very image was worth a photo or two.

However, she obviously needed assistance, so he personally decided to help her up and onto the animal. He stepped behind her and touched his hands to her lips – she shivered at the contact – then helped push her weight up and over, until she comfortably sat on the saddle. He moved away and mounted his own lizard, then steered it around to take hold of her reins, knowing she wasn’t sure about what to do.

“Just leave it to me,” he assured. She eagerly nodded, more than happy to follow his lead. She watched him, perfectly comfortable, and felt a tad envious.

“How can you be so good at everything?” Taryn mock-grumbled. He responded with a slightly suggestive wink, followed by a beaming, cheeky grin that made her blush and heart skip a beat. The sensation was overwhelming, but she couldn’t place her finger on what was going on with her reactions.

Perhaps fortunately, she was distracted by the tip of her saddle, and she rolled off, although luckily landed on the soft sand.

“You okay, there?” Jak enquired.

“Fine!” she called, wiping herself down and patting the lizard’s neck. “It’s not you; it’s me,” she assured the creature. When it responded by affectionately butting her hand, she sighed. “I’m more comfortable with vehicles. They purr beneath me. You know what I mean, right?”

The blonde nodded his agreement, knowing exactly what she meant – after all, _he_ purred beneath her, too. Attempting to redirect his thoughts, he hurried said, “You wanna keep trying?”

“Am I the kind of girl who gives up?” she joked, insisting on struggling her way atop the saddle by herself this time. He shrugged and observed, not at all impatient with her lack of experience. She relaxed a little and tenderly scratched the top of her leaper’s head, and it let out a content rumble. _Maybe I can do this._

“You know, back in Sandover, there were Flut Fluts,” Jak suddenly remarked.

Taryn frowned. “What’s a Flut Flut?”

“It’s like a bird version of these things. Blue and yellow feathers, big feet…”

“Oh, wow. They sound adorable.”

“I’m sure I could find a picture for you.”

“I’d like that,” she smiled. “Tell me more about the Old World.”

He hadn’t expected that request, but still indulged her. “What do you wanna know?”

“What other creatures were there? Leapers?”

“None that I ever saw. There was pretty much everything that’s here now, ‘though without Metal Heads.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

The blonde’s head lifted and he watched her expression, but all he found was sincerity in the form of a faraway gaze, as she pictured his erstwhile home.

As the pair pulled up to the pen, they dismounted and handed the leapers over to a keeper, who began removing the steeds’ saddles and reins. Taryn gave hers a last pat on the head, before it was shuffled into the pen with the others.

“Hate to say this, but I don’t think I’ll ever ride a living thing again,” she said, shaking her head. Jak tilted his head and smirked, giving his thoughts away, and she let out a sigh. “Take your mind out of the gutter.”

“Sorry…” he apologised, but it didn’t sound very earnest. A roll and the eyes and playful shove were his punishment, yet it simply made him worse. “Can’t help it with you.”

“Stop it.”

“Hey, this is revenge for sniffing me!”

“I can’t help it if you smell nice!”

Unable to argue with her, he threw his arms up into the air in exasperation, whilst she continued to laugh at his side, and they made their way back towards the Sand Shark parked nearby.


	3. Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set anywhere from chapter twelve onwards. This was actually going to be a major event in Catalyst, but it just felt a bad fit, no matter what I did with it.

The blue-haired adolescent almost threw herself out of bed in fright at the abrupt buzz of her communicator. Rolling onto her side and feeling for the switch of her bedside lamp, she flicked it on. With a grumble, she finally responded to her communicator by activating it.

“Yeah?”

A deep, masculine voice emerged from the communicator. _“Hey…”_ There was a pause, before he continued. _“I, uh, didn’t wake you or anything, did I?”_

“Jak…” _It’s good to hear his voice._ “No, I was already awake,” she remarked. However, even to her ears, her voice came out gravelly, yet it wasn’t caused by sleepiness. “What is it?”

But he didn’t respond to her question. _“You don’t sound so good…”_

She sighed. “I feel like crap.”

_“You sound it. No offence.”_

“None taken.” With a swallow, she winced, but her inflamed throat wasn’t as painful as it had been earlier. “I just woke up feeling like I’ve been slammed against a wall.”

_“Can you move?”_

“Not really…lack of energy, you know.” Although unnecessary information, she added, “I let Tess know I wouldn’t be able to make it today, so she’s on her own with Jinx.”

_“Poor girl.”_

Taryn laughed, although in a slightly forced manner, due to the fact it hurt her head and throat to do so. “But I need to get back on missions tomorrow; can’t afford to blow off another job.”

She thought she heard a soft curse from the communicator, but it might have been her imagination. After some time, he spoke once more, in a gentler tenor. _“Is there anything I can get you?”_

As appealing as it was to have him fetch things and take care of her, she simply couldn’t force him to do it. There were other, more important, things to get on with. Besides, it wasn’t her style to have a man care for her when she felt ill. She cared for herself; that was how it had always been – at least, until now.

“Everything’s under control. Don’t worry about it.”

_“Oh. Right. Take care of yourself, okay? I’ll see you later.”_

_Does he sound hurt?_ She wasn’t sure whether she had imagined it or not. “Okay. Bye, Jak.”

_“Bye, Taryn.”_

The communicator _bleeped_ to indicate the end of the call. She slumped back down onto the pillow, groaning. Although she had taken a couple of painkillers several minutes prior, they had yet to take effect. Her eyes closed, mind trying to clear. She hoped for a deep sleep that lasted the entire day. Tomorrow, the flu would have cleared and she’d be right as rain.

_Hopefully_.

* * *

 

The shivers woke her. Taryn struggled to sit her body up against the stack of pillows and her bleary optics slowly focused – on the five foot ten blonde stood at the side of her bed. _Jak? Oh, for God’s sake…_ She sighed aloud, then took a look at his expression; his eyes were a brighter shade of blue than usual. _Definitely worried._ “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I _was_ at the temple,” he began. “Talking to Samos and Keira about her Sage training. I called to let you know I’d be back late, but…well, you know. You sounded bad, so I thought I’d check on you.”

When he began approaching, she panicked. “Don’t come near me. You’ll catch my cold.”

He ignored her warning and sat on the edge of the bed at her side, then touched a hand to her cheek. “You’re cold! I’ll grab you another cover-” He was about to rise to his feet, when she grabbed his arm.

“Don’t bother,” she grumbled. “I’ll just get too hot again.”

With a roll of the eyes, he reached out once more and laid his palm against her forehead, gently stroking circles with his thumb. She briefly flinched at the contact, then settled back and lowered her eyelids. His comparatively cool hand felt nice against her flushed skin. In fact, she was almost asleep again…when he decided to pull away. With a grumble, her eyes found his.

“Why’d you stop?” she groused.

“You’re very demanding when you’re ill.” After her whimper, however, Jak felt he had no choice but to give in. “Okay, fine…is there anything else I can get you?”

“Just keep stroking my head.”

* * *

 

Being unwell for more than one day was not in Taryn’s plans, and it irritated her no end. The fact that Daxter decided that made it a good idea to visit did not help her mood.

“Go away,” she complained, weakly batting with one hand and pulling the duvet higher over her body with the other, trying to cover her head. It was a feeble attempt to make the world go away – or, to put it more accurately, a small and annoying orange thing set on giving details of his (debatably) amazing love life in the most exuberant way possible.

Of course, he ignored her protests and continued his wild rambling. “And Tessy-poo, my amazing, _gorgeous_ blonde bombshell, just decorated our garage for the brand-spankin’-new Daxtermobile-”

“Does that mean you’ll be gone for good?” the sixteen year old sarcastically enquired, receiving a pause and unimpressed glance. She peeked from behind the top of the duvet and he caught a cheeky little smirk.

“Ya know you threw me off,” he pointed out, placing both hands on his hips. “Now I’ll have to start over.”

That put an end to her heckling. _Oh, great. Why did I interrupt him?_ She had nobody to blame but herself.

“Are you bothering her _again_?” Apparently, Jak had arrived as her shining white Knight and completely spoilt the Ottsel’s magnificent tale, forcing the latter to give up and do little more than glower at his best friend.

Taryn beamed at the man in the doorway. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

A tad taken aback by her cheer, the blonde stared for a moment, allowing the words to sink in, but his expression quickly morphed into a soft smile. Daxter caught it and flashed a mischievous grin, but narrowed eyes fired his way, silently warning “don’t you dare” put an end to that. Besides, perhaps Taryn _had_ been given enough to deal with for one day; she really _was_ sick, after all.

“I’m off to continue the _lovin’_ with my darlin’,” he retorted, dropping to the floor and swanning out of the room, giving a wave. “So long, losers!”

Jak raised an eyebrow at his friend’s behaviour, followed by a shake of the head. There were no words. He turned away and sat on the edge of her bed, pulling a phial out of his trouser pocket. It slowly pulsed with emerald energy; hypnotising to watch – which she did, if a tad apprehensively.

Noticing her line of sight, he held it up. “It’s medicine. Samos made it. For you. There’s some Green Eco mixed into the-”

“Oh, no, you don’t! I _hate_ medicine.” She knew her response was childish, but the point remained valid; all remedies tasted awful and there was no way she would be party to it. Still, she understood he would hardly allow her to have her own way so easily.

His voice grew more forceful. “It’ll make you feel better.”

Not one to typically back down from an argument, something about his disposition sent her pulse erratically racing, and she immediately fell into submissive mode. Satisfied, he poured some of the strange liquid onto a spoon. Her mouth reflexively opened and he slipped it inside. She swallowed, surprised that it wasn’t as foul-tasting as previously thought.

He placed the spoon, along with the phial, onto the bedside table, then decided to check her temperature. “You’re a little cool…but that should change in a few minutes.”

“‘Kay,” she muttered. _Hate it as much as you like, Bloo. There’s something to having him waiting on you._

“Scoot over,” he suddenly said, cutting off her train of thought. Bewildered as to what he had planned, she remained in place, but then realised his intentions, as he nudged her along the mattress and lifted the duvet.

“Wha-?” was her initial reaction, then a more sensible, “What are you doing?”

“Getting in.”

“Wh-why?”

“It’ll keep your temperature up.”

_An excuse if I ever heard one…_ But she didn’t argue further. He curled against her, the warmth making her shiver.

“How’s that? Better?” he whispered, languidly stroking her back. She didn’t trust herself to speak, for fear of whimpering aloud at his soothing touch, and gave a little nod.

Neither recalled when they fell sleep in one another’s arms.

* * *

 

_Enough is enough._

A couple day’s rest, several doses of medicine and her personal hero-doctor to keep her company, and Taryn felt much better. Whatever the Green Sage had done to that concoction, it was wonderful stuff. She could actually move without the aches and pains, and gave her legs a test wriggle. A stretch of the arms, and she rose into a sitting position. Slight wooziness followed, but everything otherwise felt alright.

_Time to get up and back to normality,_ she decided, tossing the covers aside and clambering off the bed.

Out of the room and halfway down the corridor, she encountered Jak, stood at the top of the stairs and wearing an unamused look on his countenance. Sheepishly, she was shuffled back into her bed, and he assisted with tucking her in.

It was miraculous how, even with a splitting headache and swollen throat, she managed to show an immense amount of attitude. Her green eyes exasperatedly flashed at the five foot ten blonde stood in the doorway of her bedroom.

“I swear I’m fine now,” she sighed, not taking her eyes off him.

“Oh, the _terrible_ medicine did that?” he teased, daring to impersonate her. Pulling a face, she gave up; it was impossible to remain angry with the man. Then he remembered the main reason he’d returned to see her – aside from checking her health, of course. “You know you love Crocadogs?”

Her expression turned into one of intrigue. “What about it?”

Jak let out a whistle, and said pet entered the room in its little scamper, tongue lolling from its wide mouth. It loyally sat at the former’s foot. However, upon seeing the blue-haired girl again, it let out a surprised noise, somewhere between a growl and whimper.

“Oh, so you remember me?” she smiled. It responded with a deep bark. “I didn’t know you’d kept the ‘Dog, Jak.”

“Well, he _is_ mine, so I guessed I should,” the blonde replied, ruffling the little brown fringe perched atop the animal’s head. It happily whimpered at the attention and rolled onto its side, demanding a belly rub, to which its owner obliged.

“Do you think he’ll let me pet him?” she enquired, biting her bottom lip.

“I don’t know,” the nineteen year old said, settling himself onto the edge of her bed once more. The Crocadog followed and pawed at the man’s boot, which translated as _can I sit on your lap?_ It was practically an anvil in weight, but Jak managed to plant the green pet between he and Taryn. She watched it for a moment, before reaching out with her hand. It sniffed, then opened its mouth wide and licked the entire length of its long tongue across her palm.

“Ew!” she jeered, but half-expected that result, and chuckled. The ‘Dog gave a little wheezy snigger of its own, tail beating against the mattress with a dull thud.

“You might wanna wash that,” the blonde suggested.

“ _Might_?” She shook her head and clambered out of the bed, heading for the bathroom and turning on the tap with her free hand. _I’m just glad it didn’t lick my face._

Rinsing off the drool, she also thought, _Trust Jak to have_ that _as a pet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had way too much fun writing the Crocadog. And, when Kor says “It’s never liked anyone but the boy before”, I take it the animal just hates cranky old men. XP


	4. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set anywhere from chapter thirteen onwards. It’s a very short one, this time, but I think the length works for the subject matter.

A writhing, rocking and bucking body – followed by screams that ripped from the throat.

“JAK! Jak, wake up!” a woman’s voice broke through the fog. He felt a weight pressing lightly on his chest and fingers running through his sweat-damp hair. Eyes snapped open, the reverie broken, and he recognised Taryn sat upright at his side, fearfully watching his countenance. An anguished cry emerged and he gripped her lower arms for dear life. She grasped his shoulder and rolled him into her, hugging his head to her chest.

“I’m here,” she cooed into his ear, continuing to stroke through his rumpled, green-blonde tresses. It was only until he stopped panting for air and relaxed against her that she loosened her hold and tilted his head up to face hers. His optics were wide and alarmed, still gripped by whatever horrors had woken him.

She bent down and pressed a soothing, delicate kiss to his lips, followed by a verbal promise. “I won’t go anywhere.”

“Thank you…” he murmured, vocal chords cracking, and he released her arms, to loosely wrap his own around her midriff, laying his head upon her lap.

“I won’t let go.”

“Okay.”

Taryn pondered in the silence, struggling to conjure way of helping him drift back to sleep – hopefully with a nice dream, for once. Several ideas rolled around her mind, although she was unsure any were appropriate. “What would help you get back to sleep quicker?”

He shrugged, voice low and uncharacteristically frail. “I don’t think I need anything but this.”

_Oh._ Her eyes pricked, and she bit her lip to hold back the tears. Although flattering, those words _hurt_. With some resolve, she replied, “Then that’s all I’ll do.”

He returned a comforted smile and focused on regulating his breathing, whilst she tenderly curled long strands around her fingers.

_But what were you dreaming of? What could scare a man like that to the point of screaming?_ She had a feeling those questions would never be answered, but supposed it wasn’t that important – not compared to being there when he awoke, reassuring him that everything would be alright.


	5. Alternate Accomodation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve taken an almost two-month break from Jak & Daxter, and now I feel much better about getting back into it. I’m getting chapters seventeen of Catalyst and eight of Encounters ready to post (they’re about three-quarters done). ‘Til then, I leave you with this. It was originally a bit cut from chapter two.

_Got to find a new roommate by six._ The nerves were already setting in. _Are three hours enough?_ The teen certainly hoped so. She really owed Keira for being reasonable about the whole situation. Well, it wasn’t that surprisingly; they _were_ friends, after all…although the latter remained unaware of Taryn cohabiting with the blonde hero.

It wouldn’t have been a problem, if she stayed with any other male, but it was _Jak_ , for Precursors’ sake. The man she had practically mooned over for the past two years. She wouldn’t have even found herself in such a situation, if it weren’t for Finn’s untimely death. Not that she blamed it for it. The Metal Heads overwhelmed Freedom League agents in a battle outside the city walls. He was one of many unfortunate casualties.

It was how she found herself homeless. Up until three months ago, Finn had been her roommate, friend…and more. Since his passing, she struggled to locate a new place to live, preferring to locate a place of her own, than relying on Haven’s Governess for aid.

Taryn cursed herself for putting this off.

_But isn’t that what you wanted? What you still want? To be closer to Jak? That’s why you took your time. And he’s single, now…you’re single…_

The annoying voice murmured from the back of her head, the one that told to do things that logic and morality found questionable. _Shut up!_ she inwardly roared, and it quietened, but that wouldn’t be for long.

* * *

 

The first potential lodger was a seventeen year old girl called Cynthia – Cyn, for short; her own little joke – who owned a sizeable apartment within the rebuilt Bazaar sector. She was energetic, feisty and a talented gunslinger. The conversation went well between the pair…

…until Taryn discovered that Cyn clung to the late Baron’s regime. Unsure of how well a former Underground agent would cope with hearing the girl’s political views and afraid of being recognised, the former insisted on seeing a few more places, before committing herself.

Second on the list was a perfect, two-bedroom house, belonging to Xan, a handsome, go-getting blonde five years her senior. Taryn saw the warning signs almost immediately and swore not to get involved with that type of male again. Which was partly why she reluctantly accepted her current living arrangements. _It’s temporary,_ her psyche niggled at her once more, yet the sneaker portion of her brain also suggested that “temporary” was a subjective word. _It could mean a day, month or year._

She offered Xan the best excuse she could muster (something about an important appointment with), politely accepted a card with his phone number scrawled across it (simultaneously deciding to never call him), then left.

The final person the teen arranged to meet was a dainty, ballerina-type named Dyana, who was the sweetest, middle-aged woman a person could meet. Things were going well, it seemed, until Taryn encountered three rowdy, excited children. She had barely known what to do when asked to babysit the Kid, so this left her exhausted. To make matters worse, the single spare bedroom turned out to be a tiny attic that could barely fit a Metal Bug, let alone the five foot ten adolescent and her humble belongings.

Another one crossed off the list.

Whilst leaving the district and heading back towards the Stadium, well and truly defeated by the endeavour, Taryn passed through the Gardens and perused the assortment of one-bedroom apartments for rent, comparing their prices to what she could afford. Apart from rabbit hutches and areas she _really_ didn’t want to live in, especially alone, everything was well out of her price range.

For as many jobs she performed, she didn’t make _that_ much money.

Taryn let out an annoyed huff and turned away.

As it turned out, in Haven City, there was only one house in a decent area, sizable enough and affordable, not to mention with a roommate that she felt remotely capable of putting up with.

Jak. Her ally and, more importantly, friend – she was reminded of Daxter’s _harem_ comment and hurriedly pushed it out of her head – and knew she could trust the man with her life.

_Just have to keep my libido in check, I suppose._

So, defeated by the prospect of a new lodger, but almost grateful for the terrible experience, she ambled her way back towards the garage, somewhat fatigued, but glad to have something to work on and preoccupy her mind.


End file.
